Man accused of Gresham rape arraigned, land near Parkrose Middle condemned: East County roundup

View full sizeSara Hottman/The OregonianThis week Portland Parks & Recreation broke into the bare, dead grass at East Portland Community Center; by fall it will be filled with play equipment as part of the $1 million E205 Initiative in East Portland.

Land near Parkrose Middle School condemned: The Parkrose School District board voted at a meeting last month to seek condemnation of a quarter-acre of land in the northeast corner of the Parkrose Middle School that is owned by the Rossi family. Condemnation is the the acquisition of private property at fair market value, with or without the seller’s consent. The district wants to build a new building there. Read a report by the Mid-County Memo for more.

E205 Initiative winding down: Portland Parks & Recreation's effort to improve East Portland parks through its E205 Initiative projects is winding down as the last amenities are installed. On Monday Portland Parks broke ground on a playground for East Portland Community Center that will be installed by the end of October, along with new equipment at East Holladay Park. By fall projects at Cherry, Glenfair and Lynchwood parks will be completed. Read yesterday's story for details.

In Oregon news:

Gas prices: Gas prices in Oregon have held steady at $3.64 a gallon during the past week, but experts expect them to climb through the rest of the summer.

Ballot measures: Nine measures will be listed on the Nov. 6 Oregon ballot at nos. 77 to 85: Five would amend the Oregon Constitution, including legislative referrals, Measures 77 and 78. Ballot Measure 77 authorizes the governor to declare a catastrophic disaster and bring legislators into session. Measure 78 makes grammatical changes.

Horse adoption: About 20 wild horses taken from herd management areas in southeast Oregon will be offered for adoption Friday and Saturday at the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake, Wash. as part of the Bureau of Land Management's Adopt-a-Horse Program.

Olympics coverage continues: As a big USA gymnastics fan, I was really excited to see the girls take gold yesterday. Check out a photo essay that captured each moment, including Gabrielle Douglas' stellar performance on the beam. And check in on OregonLive's continuing Summer Olympics coverage throughout the day.